What is a nuclear scan used for?
What are radioactive scans? Radioactive or nuclear scans are tests in which the patient is given a weak radioactive substance called a radioactive tracer by injection into the bloodstream. The material is taken up by the body. A machine, which looks like an x-ray machine, moves over the area being tested and produces a series of pictures. How can the doctor tell if cancer is present? Deposits of cancer may show up as areas of either increased radioactivity or decreased radioactivity, depending upon the organ being studied, the type of radioactive substance used, and the kind of scan being done. What kinds of substances are used in nuclear scans? The kind of tracer used depends upon the part of the body which is being studied. Certain substances accumulate in certain body organs. An element like cobalt 60 allows doctors to track its progress as it makes its way through the digestive system by the radioactive trace elements it leaves behind. Radioactive iodine ...